LEGARA Ferenc (Lehr Ferenc)

(1870-1948)
Born April 30, 1870 in the Slovak town of Komц?rom (today Hungary) in a military family Kapellmeister. In 1882, Lehar entered the Prague Conservatory, where he studied under A. Bennevitsa (violin), JB Foerster (harmony), and Antonin Dvorak (composition). For some time he worked violinist-accompanist in the theater orchestra Elberfeld-Barmen, then within 10 years was in the service in the Austro-Hungarian army, becoming one of the most popular conductors military bands. At this time the release of the first works of Lehar: Pieces for Violin, songs, marches, waltzes (including the perennial Gold and Silver Waltz, 1899) and opera Cuckoo (staged in Leipzig in 1896). Lehar hour struck, when B. Leon, while the best Viennese librettist, the composer offered to write music for his libretto (tinker). Placed in 1902, this operetta has served a good application for the future. Three years later, Lehar famous throughout the world operetta The Merry Widow (Die lustige Witwe) - a product which, thanks to their freshness, inventiveness and grandeur of the orchestral score opened a new epoch in the history of Viennese operetta. In the 'Theater an der Wien' Merry Widow withstood 483 submissions; according to some sources the number of performances around the world reached 60 000 for the first 50 years of stage life works. Over three decades after The Merry Widow Lehar composed 19 operettas, . including The Count of Luxembourg (Der Graf von Luxemburg, . 1909), . Gypsy Love (Zigeuner Liebe, . 1910), . Eva (1911), . There, . where the lark sings (Wo die Lerche singt, . 1918) and Frasquita (Frasquita, . 1922; delightful serenade of this operetta has become widely known in the treatment of F. Kreisler),
. Lehar was already over fifty, he began his collaboration with R. Tauber, the best tenor in Germany. The result was such successful operetta, . Paganini (1925), . Prince (1927), . Frederic (1928), . The Land of Smiles (Das Land des Lchelns, . 1929), . How beautiful the world! (Schn ist die Welt, . 1931) and, . Finally, . last opus Lehar - Giuditta, . delivered in 1934 at the Vienna Opera,
. Of the four masters of the late Viennese operetta (along with A. Strauss, . Fall, L. and J. Kalman) Lehar was the most striking: his melodic gift is truly inexhaustible, . rhythmic and harmonic language of diversity, . and orchestral Letter - Effectively,
. In Vienna and the Hungarian Lehar coloring uses Paris, Russian, Spanish, Polish and even Chinese elements. Although it has been criticized for the substitution of this musical comedy melodrama, ie. departure from the traditions of the founders of the genre by J. Offenbach and Johann Strauss, there is no doubt that it is the creativity of the Viennese operetta by Lehar brought widespread international recognition.
During the Second World War, Lehar held in Austria, then moved to Switzerland (1946). Two years later he returned to his Austrian home in Bad Ischl. Lehц?r died in Bad Ischl October 24, 1948.